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(No Model.) I

H. P. MERRIAM.

DETONATING MECHANISM FOR EXPLOSIVE SHELLS.

No. 431.378. Patented July 1 1890.

WITNESSES: K gvemen ,y/wu

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY P. MERRIAM, OF NEXV YORK, NQY.

DETONATING MECHANISM FOR EXPLOSI VE SHELLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 431,378, dated July 1,1890.

Application filed December 23, 1889. Serial No. 334,695. (No model.)

1.0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY P. MERRIAM, a citizen of the United States,residing at the city, county, and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in ]')etonat-ing Mechanisms forExplosive Shells, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to dynamite or other highly-explosive shells, andits object is to detonate the shell-charge by the blow of immersion onthe head of the shell when it strikes a water target, proper provisionbeing made for delay action of the fuses to obtain immersion of theshell under a hostile vessel or other object.

My invention consists of an improved apparatus whereby air is compressedwithin a chamber contained in the shell by the exterior mechanicalaction of the water, and such compressed air utilized at a definite timeto actuate the detonating mechanism.

My invention also consists of an improved mechanism for locking orretaining the hammers or plunger-s apart from the fulminate caps undernormal conditions and releasing the same automatically at the propertime to be actuated subsequently by pressure.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a longitudinalsection of the head of the shell; Fig. 2, a front elevation of the apex;Fig. 3, a cross-section 011 line :22 5c of Fig. 1; and Figs. 4: and 5,detail side and end views, respectively, of the air-compressing piston.

A is the chamber of the shell filled with high explosive. B isa chamberfilled with guncotton; 0, an annular tube containing fulminatingmercury, and D D are time-fuses filled with slow-burning compoundsuch asmealpowderto cause delay action, comm unicating with the tube 0 and withthe primers of the fuln-xinate caps E. These parts, composing thedetonator, are contained in a case F,

' screwed into the apex piece-G, which is removable, being screwed intothe head of the shell at a.

The ease F is provided with cylinders c, which are perpendicular to theaxis of the shell, containing hammers or plu'ngcrs d d, fittingair-tight therein, which, when released,

are movable toward the fulminate caps E.

are arranged tangentially to circles concentric with the shellintersecting their axes, so that they move severally in differentdirections. The holes H communicate with the cylinders c at the backs ofthe plungers and witlnthe space or passage 6 in front of the ease F. Theplungers (1 cl, arranged tangentially to a shaft J, are provided withcircumferential grooves 'L' at the parts thereof opposite said shaftwhen thr; plungers are retracted. The shaftJ intersects these groovesiand retains the plungers in their inactive position, but when withdrawnforwardly releases them.

The apex-piece G contains the air-compressing mcchanism, which consistsas follows: A piston M is fitted toa cylinderN, be-.

ing made practically air-tight by packings g r, the compressing end ofthe cylinder opening to the space e and thence to thebacks of theplungers (Z d. The piston M is provided with astrong spring 0, in whichmotive power is stored to effect the air-compression after the piston isretracted.

K is a spirally-bladed wheel exposed to the action of atmosphere andwater at the apex of the shell.

L is a stationary guard placed over the,

wheel for the purpose of protecting it, and the guard L has inlets landoutlets m,giving free passage-way through the face of the wheel.

The axial shaft J, to which the wheel K is screw-threaded, serves thedouble function of, first, unlocking the plungcrs, and, second,retracting the piston against the spring 0. To this purpose the shaft Jis provided with a pin 8, which engages with a slotted collart, terminalto a sleeve u of the piston M. The slots -v r, Fig. 5, in the collar 75are located at an angle to the normal position of the pin .9, asindicated, so that when the shaft J is moved forward the pin 8 will abuton the collar and draw the piston M, together with the shaft J, untilthe former is rotated, so as to bring the slots opposite the pin andtrip the piston from the shaft, permitting it to be driven back by thespring. This is accomplished by means of the angular slot '20 in thesurface of the piston, the end 10' of which slot is normally in a lineopposite the pin 10 in the cylinder. After the slot w has passed the pin20 a supplemental longitudinal slot 10*, intersecting IOC . the pin 8abuts in the collar t. At the instantthe angular SlOL w, permits thefree passage of the piston M over the pin when tripped.

In the operation of my invention' the first part of the movement of theshaft J is imparted by the friction of the atmospheric air on the wheel.K, rotating it on the screw thread of the ,shaft, and the second part,by the force of the water after immersion, simi larly acting on thewheel, and in each case drawing the shaft J forward. The air-actuatedrotation of the wheel H, which occurs during \the flight of the shell,releases the plungers and draws the shaft J forward until of the blow ofimmersion thewheel K receives contin'ned rotatiomdrawin g the pistonagainst the spring 0 until the tripping action, here-Iinbeforedescribed, takes place, compressing the air within the cylinderN and discharging the fulminate caps.

It is to be observed that the time element of delay action may beregulated in the practice of my invention not only by the time I what Iclaim, and desire to secure by Letters composition in the passages D,but also by means of adjustment of the tripping action of theair-compressing;mechanism, if desired.

Having'thus fully described my invention,

Patent, is

1. In an explosive shell, the combination of a detonator actuated bypressure, a cylinder and piston within the shell, a.frictionallyactuated'wheel on the-exterior of the shell, and mechanismwhereby the motion of the wheel is'imparted to the piston for thepurposes described.

2. In an explosive shell, the'combination of a detonator actuated bypressure, a cylinder and piston within the shell, a spring operativeupon the piston to compress the air, a fric-.

tionally-actu'ated wheel in the exterior of the shell, and mechanismwhereby the motion 'of the wheel is imparted to compress the spring.

'. 3. In an explosive shell, the combination of adetonator actuated bypressure, a cylinder and piston within the shell, a spring operativeupon the pistonto compress the air, a frictionally-actuated wheel on theexterior of the shell, mechanism whereby the motion of the wheel isimparted to compress the spring, and

a tripping mechanism whereby the spring is released to act on the pistonat a given time during the motion of the wheel.

4. The combination, with an explosive shell,

of a pressure-actuated detonating plunger or plungers, a shaftintercepting the plunger-s, and a frictionally-actuated wheel on the exterior of the shell giving longitudinal motion to the shaft to releasethe plungers.

5.- The combination, with an explosive shell, of a detonating plungerorplungers movable in a line perpendicular to the/axis of the shell,

an air chamber or passage communicating with the backs of the plungers,and a springactuated piston for compressing the air in said chamber.

6. The combination, in an explesive shell, of a detonating plunger orplungers'perpendicular to the axis of the shell, an air chamber orextending through the piston and the apex of the shell, aspirally-bladed wheel screwthreaded to the shaft, and a trippihg device,substantially as described, whereby the piston is engaged by or releasedfrom the shaft atflefiuite vpoints of the latters retraction.

8. .As a structural combination, in an explosive shell, a dctonator-casecontaining firing-plungers tangentially arranged about a common axiallocking-shaft,a spirally-bladed nut oh the shaft exposed at the apex ofthe shell,- and a cylinder-case and ana'ir-coin-- pressing piston uponsaid shaft, longitudinally movable therewith, the whole being combinedin a removable apex-piece, substantially as shown.

HENRY l. MERRIAM. Witnesses:

H. F. PARKER, CHAS. I'IANIMANN.

